Letters From Home
by Mattrekie
Summary: A Starfleet Marine's letters to his wife.


Letters from home  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Captain Sisko. They are both owned by Paramount and I am just borrowing them. These characters are owned by me: Thaes, Mary, and Doctor Sereis. The names listed in the casualty list except for three are the names of some of my friends. The Thirtieth Infantry is property of the US Government. Also, I won't take any criticism from fellow Trekkies who say I should have posted this under another category.   
  
Dedication:  
To one of my relatives, who served in "Old Hickory" in WW2.   
  
And now, our feature presentation.  
  
Stardate 51950.6  
  
Dear Mary,  
We've finally hit the d*** Cardies back. Chin'toka is ours. I didn't see much action because the Klingons landed first. Our company right now guarding censored. I don't know how long we'll be here. One of the boys said we might get assigned to some rock, AR-558. I hope not. By the time this reaches you, my dearest, hopefully I'll be somewhere else. Ever since the war started, we've been moving from desolate h*** hole to despoiled wasteland. Every day I think about how much I miss you. More and more now I find myself thinking of you. This is all I can right. Please send some cookies with every letter. They'll be a taste of home.  
Yours always,  
Thaes Resen  
  
Stardate 52001.2  
  
Dear Mary,   
After three months corralled up on this h*** hole, we're finally leaving. Rumor has it we're headed for some place called Kalandra. The cookies you sent were heaven in h***. I'm am very glad of this little piece of home. There have been several attacks by Cardassian forces "behind the lines." The company five kilometers "down the road" lost five of their men to just one Cardie. I don't know if I'll make it through the war. Between the constant threats of danger, the lack of good food, and our wisecracking Captain I don't know if I'll make it home in one piece. If I don't, remember me always.   
PS The guys have started a betting pool on when the next mail will arrive. I hope it is soon.  
Forever yours,  
Thaes Resen  
  
Stardate 52156.8  
  
Dear Mary,  
We landed a day ago. And I thought Chin'toka was hell. We've been under fire ever since we ran off our landing barge. We've gained only four kilometers from the landing site and we've paid for it. Half my squad is dead, and so is a quarter of the company. Our division, the thirtieth Infantry (referred to as "Old Hickory") has lost 'round thirty percent. Can't be sure. My best pal, Milton, was gunned down before he even set foot on this desolate place. I was... covered with his blood. Oh s***, the Jem'Hadar are a coming'. Write later.  
Thaes  
  
Stardate 52160.0  
  
Dear Mary  
Since I last wrote to you, we've marched 100 kilometers through Kalandran woods to rendezvous with another division. We're prepping for an attack on a Jem'Hadar stronghold about 5 kilometers away. 10 columns of Jem'Hadar hold it. I don't know if we'll win the day. Marty says that we will win the day. He says nothing has ever stopped Old Hickory. Not Hitler, not Khan, not Green, not the Klingons; none of them have ever stopped our division. He says we shouldn't break that trend now. I agree with him. If he is right, and I sincerely hope it is, the day will be ours! Every victory brings me closer to you.  
Thaes  
  
Stardate 52165.6  
  
Dear Mary,  
I am writing from the ship USS Destiny. I got shot some days ago in heavy fighting by a f****** Jem'Hadar in the shoulder. But we did win the day. I fought for you, darling. Every day you seem less and less like my wife and more and more like an angel, just out of reach. The nurse's assurance that their CMO, Doctor Sereis, is one of the best in Starfleet comforted me greatly. If anyone can save me, he can. I can't write anymore. The doctor has to treat me.  
Thaes  
  
  
Stardate 52166.9  
  
Dear Mary,  
He can't stop the bleeding. Something in the Jem'Hadar weapon left something that is keeping the blood flowing. I won't a last much longer. I got your last letter. Please tell our son when he grows up, that his father was a hero who died protecting him. Make sure he knows his father loves him. And assure me that he'll never join Starfleet. I've encoded in this transmission a holographic message for him to read on his eighteenth birthday. Goodbye, my sweat wife.  
Yours now and forever,  
Thaes  
  
Stardate 52167.2  
  
Dear Mrs. Resen,   
It is my sad duty to inform you that your husband, Lieutenant Thaes Resen, died on the USS Destiny under my care. I did everything in my power to save your husband. He was a brave man who died fighting for what he believed in. We have need of more men like him. I have attached a file that should allow you to access all his logs that he kept during his career.  
Your husband's keeper,  
Dr. (Lieutenant Commander) Eugene Sereis  
  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
"They're not just names. It is important we remember that. We have to remember."  
Sisko started reading the names. He eventually looked under the title of Federation Marines. From the very top of the list he scrolled down, reading each name, wondering what each person was like. Eventually he came to one name that somehow stuck out.  
  
KIA Resen, LT. Thaes A.  
He tried to think what this one was like. Try as he might, he couldn't picture what this man was like. How strange. Shrugging off a chill, he read the next name. And the next.  
  
WIA Sigworth, LT. John D.  
KIA Whalen, Ensign Travis A.  
KIA Zikis, Ensign John H.  
  
USS Connecticut NCC-42587  
WIA Carrerio, Lt. (J.G.) John P   
KIA Derose, LT. Cmdr. Zachary S.  
KIA Fainer, Commander Stephen P.  
MIA Nathenson, Lt. Charles P.  
MIA O'Donnell, Ensign Marty C.  
WIA Phaf, LT. Sam J.  
KIA Raspe, Lt. Cmdr. Jaron A.  
KIA Seresin, Capt. Matthew A.  
  
He had read all the way to the end, from "KIA Alberino, Ensign Alice A." to "KIA Seresin, Capt. Matthew A." All 1730 of them. It dawned on him again. " I really do hate Fridays."  
  



End file.
